social fund

The social fund helps people on low incomes cope with emergency expenses. The Government proposes to effectively abolish this fund and allocate parts of it to local authorities to use how they think fit, in accordance with the 'localism' principle. CPAG is strongly against these proposals.

This is CPAG's response to the consultation initiated by the Labour government on reform of the social fund. This was a last minute attempt by the Labour Government to reassess the chance for social fund reform which was also linked in with providing low interest loans for those on low incomes. The new Coalition Governement has been looking at the responses and we have yet to hear whether there will be a positive set of policy proposals as a result.

Announcing the provisional local government finance settlement yesterday, Kris Hopkins made things sound just rosy for local welfare provision. A £129.6 million allocation for the successor schemes to the social fund next year? Happy Christmas, one and all.

We commented on the consultation on the draft guidance for the Scottish Community Support Fund.

We are concerned the draft guidance produced to date lacks the detail needed to ensure consistency. More detail is needed on all aspects of the arrangements, e.g. on managing and monitoring the budget and on the need for properly recorded and communicated decision making, as well as to ensure that vulnerable people who currently rely on crisis loans and community care grants are protected in the new schemes.

In the latest of an occasional series of articles on the decisions of social fund inspectors (see Bulletins 196, 197, 200 and 204), Edward Graham examines some recent cases relating to community care grants.

Four children are left home alone for five days. Social services step in to move the kids out to live with their father. But there’s a problem: the council have found a flat for the newly formed family, but it is unfurnished. The dad lives on a low income and does not have the savings to buy five beds and mattresses, and all the other furniture that is needed.